Album Review: Leah - Ancient Winter

One thing I have noticed from this perspective is that the more music I listen to, the fewer artists stand out as having something special about them. I'm not saying there aren't myriad enormously talented musicians, or that they don't create great music, but so many of them are interchangeable and relatively anonymous. Even when you find someone who is great, there's usually someone else who can do pretty much the same thing in the same way. That's not a knock, just an observation. Leah, though, has something special. In a world of symphonic singers, he voice has qualities to it few others do, which means even if I haven't spend much time listening to her music, I remember her and her voice. That's a good starting point.

With this new album, the symphonic rock/metal parts from her history are toned down, with the album's feeling relying more on atmospheric elements and lush soundscapes. What this does is give yet more room for Leah to shine.

We get this right off the bat when "The Whole World Summons" opens the album with strings, winds, and bells chiming in the background. Leah's collaborators have given her a more organic, more folk-influenced sound than ever before. Much like the cold and bleak landscape of a snow-covered horizon, this record lives in the sullen feeling of longing that comes with knowing Spring will not come for months yet. It is a somber listen, indeed.

The record is billed as a different approach to 'holiday music', which it most certainly is. For those of us who don't enjoy Christmas music, or find our hearts growing three sizes when the Calendar gets to its last page, it's interesting to hear an unusual perspective on that time of year. It's a reminder that the human experience is not one of unbridled happiness for months at a time. I doubt many will listen to this record and come away feeling happy. It's not that sort of music.

In fact, it's hard to get much an impression at all from it. By pulling back on the guitars her previous albums used, the sound becomes so soft that Leah reducer her voice to a whisper in many places, and writes melodies subtle enough to match the proceedings. That takes away the biggest appeals of her past works. We don't hear enough of her voice in its best range, and her songs don't sound big enough for the talent I know she has. Everything is so restrained that it gets boxed in, and can't run free long enough to make a statement that has impact.

Maybe that's fitting of the season. Winter is a depressing time, trapped indoors while watching the sky fall day after day. This might capture that feeling, but it doesn't make for much of an album. I have liked Leah before, but this album is too nice. I don't need to be punched in the face, but a gentle wind isn't going to catch my attention. Especially not when all the windows are closed and locked for the season.